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M P I ��� F I SH ERIES NEW S The assistance of the public by reporting suspicious or illegal activity to fishery officers is a key element in protecting our fishery: 0800 4 POACHER (0800 476 224) or visit www.fish.govt.nz HEAVY FINES FOR FINE O MUIR Tauranga based Fine O Muir Limited was sentenced in Wellington District Court in December, 2012, for making false statements on fishing returns and fishing inside prohibited areas. Fine O Muir Limited was convicted on seven charges of making false statements on fishing returns, and fined a total of $37,500. The charges related to the company fishing in one management area and misreporting their catch as having been caught in another area. Fine O Muir Limited was also convicted on a further 19 charges of fishing inside a prohibited area near Cape Runaway on 54 occasions over a six month period. Ministry for Primary Industries District Compliance Manager for Waikato/Bay of Plenty Brendon Mikkelsen says, ���This type of offending is unacceptable. The prohibited fishing areas are there to protect juvenile fish from bulk fishing methods, and support fishery sustainability. One of the prohibited areas has been in place for over 25 years.��� Fine O Muir Limited is owned and operated by the Tauranga based McGrath family. Two of the sons, Jason Lee and Brett John McGrath, were also sentenced for their parts in the illegal fishing. Brett McGrath was convicted on one charge of making a false statement on a fishing return and fined $ 7500, and Jason McGrath was convicted on six charges of making a false statement on fishing returns and fined a total of $30,000. The commercial fishing trawler Kaiti 4009 that Fine O Muir used in the offending, was ordered forfeit to the crown and Fine O Muir Limited were ordered to pay a redemption fee of $20,000 for its return. As a result of the prosecution Fine O Muir���s contract to supply fish to a Tauranga based Licensed Fish Receiver has also ceased. ���The Ministry applauds the industry for the stance it has taken against those who operate outside of the Quota Management System. Let this be a lesson to all commercial operators, that the consequences of operating outside the law may be far more extensive than solely fines handed down by the court,��� says Mikkelsen. MSA BLUE COD SEASON The season for fishing for blue cod in the Marlborough Sounds Area opened on December 29, 2012, and runs till the end of August 2013. Ministry for Primary Industries Fishery Officers will be out making sure recreational fishers follow the rules and say it is important for fishers to know the rules and to apply them because the rules will be enforced. The key rules for the MSA are: ��� No fisher may possess more than two blue cod ��� Fish must be between 30 and 35 centimetres in length ��� A two-hook per line limit ��� Blue cod must remain in a whole or gutted state at all times while on the water ��� There is no fishing at all around Maud Island. Fishers staying in baches and aboard boats are not exempt from these rules, and may land or transport only two blue cod 66 Professional Skipper March/April 2013 each by sea, either whole or gutted, measuring between 30cm and 35cm on any day. A voluntary code of practice is also in place with recommended hook sizes and styles, as well as fish handling methods to minimise release mortality. Fines of $250 to $500 per offence can be imposed on fishers who ignore the rules. Serious breaches can result in confiscation of gear, boats and vehicles. District Compliance Manager Ian Bright says, ���While adult blue cod are showing signs of recovery in the Sounds, a cautionary management approach is in place to make sure there are plenty of fish for the future. There are still issues with the health of the fishery and the rules are intended to support reproduction as well as an increase in numbers.��� SCALLOP MISCONCEPTIONS Scallops must be landed in the shell, and cannot be possessed at sea in an immeasurable state, including transport on the water from a permanent or temporary place of residence. There is a misconception that if scallops are landed and shucked they can later be placed back on a vessel and transported by sea to a point of landing. This is incorrect and the only exception is that scallops may be opened at sea for consumption on a boat. Scallops eaten at sea form part of the fisher���s daily limit. Any scallops landed must be in the shell. What a good looking bunch of dogs GRADUATION FOR NEW DOG TEAMS Seven new Ministry for Primary Industries biosecurity detector dog teams were created when handlers graduated from their training on December 7, 2012, at a ceremony in Auckland, along with 43 other frontline biosecurity staff. Detector dogs are good at picking up seeds and plants that can be hard to detect by x-ray. They also screen people faster than x-ray, and their visual presence is an important factor. The teams are pictured outside the International Terminal building at Auckland airport. From left to right are: Jacob Bates with Ollie, Carlijn Bouwman with Bounty, Meike Sloan with Eden, Stephen James with Vinnie, Jemma Grant with Rogue, Tapua Hori with Ella and Rochelle Harper with Cole. The use of dogs for the detection of illegal substances, such as narcotics and explosives began in the 1960���s. By the 1970���s government agencies throughout the world were using detector dogs for various specialised tasks and in 1995 the MAF Biosecurity Detector Dog Programme began using dogs to detect items of quarantine concern. There are now a number of passive response detector dog